Well done, good speech, Gen. Başbuğ
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 16, 2009 00:00
Speeches by the army’s chief of staff are rare. Tuesday’s by Gen. İlker Başbuğ was something rarer yet. Not for its content. But for its style, nuance and a tone that signals a new maturity in civilian-military relations.
Yes, it echoed with the cadence of the martial authority with which all of us are familiar. And yes, the unspoken "don’t test our patience" message was as clear as a bugle. But outside that scope, much was different in this speech to the nation. We at the Daily News heard Ğ and saw Ğ much at which we are heartened.
First, the delivery of this address in Istanbul, the nation’s media capital, was a departure from the expected Ankara. Further, the media figures in attendance reflected the full rainbow of sentiment. Traditionally, a column or a story that runs against the grain of military sensibility is enough to knock one off the "A list" of invitees. But here at the military academy, among the 400 invited guests, were the likes of Fehmi Koru, a Harvard-trained theologian and columnist for Islamist-leaning Yeni Şafak. There was also Mehmet Altan, a self-described Marxist and hero of anti-military liberalism who writes for the daily Star, a newspaper close to the ruling Justice and Development Party. There was plenty in between, including the foreigner who edits this modest journal.
As our headline reflected, we chose to regard this as the first draft of something we called the "Başbuğ doctrine." Plenty in this doctrine is familiar, the unitary state, the preeminence of Kemalist philosophy, a rejection of the word "minority" as it is generally conceived in Europe or the United States. But Başbuğ took pains to emphasize the reasoning behind familiar concepts with new and contemporary language. He spoke of the importance of "cultural identity," specifically of Kurdish and Zaza identities. He also went out of his way to issue a warning to those who may wrap themselves in the legacy of Turkey’s founder, Kemal Atatürk, that Turkish ethnic nationalism is at odds with this tradition.
Başbuğ called on intellectuals to read the original text of Atatürk, noting his use of the phrase, "the people of Turkey," not the "Turkish people."
While making it clear that the Turkish military will offer terrorists no quarter, he also spoke eloquently of the need to battle terror with education, development and rehabilitation.
He spoke vaguely of unnamed forces seeking to damage the reputation of the military. But he kept to the doctrinal focus by avoiding such tense topics as the ongoing "Ergenekon investigation" and its alleged plots within military circles. That, he said, will come next week. We will eagerly await the doctrinal final version. But our initial reaction is that this was an address by a modern, democratic and very European military leader.
First, the delivery of this address in Istanbul, the nation’s media capital, was a departure from the expected Ankara. Further, the media figures in attendance reflected the full rainbow of sentiment. Traditionally, a column or a story that runs against the grain of military sensibility is enough to knock one off the "A list" of invitees. But here at the military academy, among the 400 invited guests, were the likes of Fehmi Koru, a Harvard-trained theologian and columnist for Islamist-leaning Yeni Şafak. There was also Mehmet Altan, a self-described Marxist and hero of anti-military liberalism who writes for the daily Star, a newspaper close to the ruling Justice and Development Party. There was plenty in between, including the foreigner who edits this modest journal.
As our headline reflected, we chose to regard this as the first draft of something we called the "Başbuğ doctrine." Plenty in this doctrine is familiar, the unitary state, the preeminence of Kemalist philosophy, a rejection of the word "minority" as it is generally conceived in Europe or the United States. But Başbuğ took pains to emphasize the reasoning behind familiar concepts with new and contemporary language. He spoke of the importance of "cultural identity," specifically of Kurdish and Zaza identities. He also went out of his way to issue a warning to those who may wrap themselves in the legacy of Turkey’s founder, Kemal Atatürk, that Turkish ethnic nationalism is at odds with this tradition.
Başbuğ called on intellectuals to read the original text of Atatürk, noting his use of the phrase, "the people of Turkey," not the "Turkish people."
While making it clear that the Turkish military will offer terrorists no quarter, he also spoke eloquently of the need to battle terror with education, development and rehabilitation.
He spoke vaguely of unnamed forces seeking to damage the reputation of the military. But he kept to the doctrinal focus by avoiding such tense topics as the ongoing "Ergenekon investigation" and its alleged plots within military circles. That, he said, will come next week. We will eagerly await the doctrinal final version. But our initial reaction is that this was an address by a modern, democratic and very European military leader.